


keeping promises

by pandabrite



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, One Shot, blupjeans, well kinda it's more like a sequel lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 12:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandabrite/pseuds/pandabrite
Summary: a sequel to 'promise you'll wait forever'. now that barry and lup are home, barry fulfills a promise he made to lup decades ago.





	keeping promises

**Author's Note:**

> day 22 of taz nanowrimo is a sequel to one of the other prompts i wrote called 'promise you'll wait forever.' i don't guess you HAVE to read it first, but it might make more sense and have more emotional impact if you do? anyway today's prompt was 'a promise.'

Barry had been terrified before.

He could remember it like it was yesterday-- sweat pooling on the back of his neck at the idea of asking this perfect woman to be his forever, to be his wife.

And he could remember the sting of being turned down, though that was less poignant a memory than the rest, because he’d understood. He got it. There was no bitterness in his heart at her refusal, because if Lup wasn’t ready, then he guessed he wasn’t either. 

Lup wanted to wait to marry him. Lup wanted to wait until their crucible had ended. She wanted to wait until they had a home together, until they were on a plane they could call home, until they were at peace with their family and friends, until they were no longer fighting every day, tooth and nail for their lives.

So… they were here. 

In a small, but cozy home. Their home. A well decorated and well lived in collision of Barry and Lup. Books littered tables, papers and charts and graphs could be found nestled in corners of rooms untouched. Splashes of color and vibrancy were scattered amongst the organized chaos of their home. It was comfortable. It was easy. 

It was fucking _home._

Lup was in the kitchen, flipping a steak in a frying pan, tongue in her cheek as she focused. They had company. Barry had asked if she would be willing to cook for them, just her. 

Which was weird, because usually when there was a dinner occasion that had anything to do with the Taaco twins, _both_ of them were involved in kitchen theatrics and an overabundance of food… but… Barry had _insisted_ , so Taako had begrudgingly sat this one out.

They were nestled in a cozy living room, a plump, well worn, an incredibly soft set of couch and chairs all filled. Filled with their family and the friends they’d found along the way.

The air was filled with chatter, a blanket of comforting sound that made Lup smile to herself as she finished up her work. It was no Taako masterpiece, but Lup had her own way of cooking that made her meals special. Taako was all about detail, meticulous experimentation and methodology that made his food wild, exciting and different… while Lup… Lup just threw some shit in a pan and made the taste good happen.

It was easy. She didn’t get all fussy with details. She served them all up a plate of meat and potatoes that were possibly the best damn meat and potatoes that they had ever tasted.

“Gotta say, _crushed_ it, as usual,” Lup proudly took a seat beside Barry, a wine glass held aloft in her hand, “chow down, clowns. There’s _plenty_ more where that came from.”

And, of course, there was. When either of the Taaco’s cooked, there was excess. They’d grown up with so little, to have an abundance was a gift and a treasure. No one went hungry when Taako or Lup had say.

The meal was winding down. With stomachs full of food and beer and wine, the conversation settled into a lull. Magnus was dozing off on the couch, threatening to drool on Taako, who had scooted far enough from the display that he was practically perched on the arm of the couch.

Lucretia, who had settled herself quietly alongside Barry and Lup on the couch, tittered quietly behind her hand at the sight of Magnus’ sleepy display. She may not be welcome by the _entire_ room, but she was… fine. She was glad to be welcome by Lup and Barry, more grateful than words could ever properly express. 

Merle and Davenport were chatting about their various exploits, a meeting of the minds about wild camping adventures and high sea travels. 

Kravitz oversaw it all from a nearby armchair, relishing in the company, though he was still learning quite how to interact with all of them. He was comfortable enough, right now, to just involve himself on the fringe of reminiscing family. 

Barry could feel the warmth of Lup against his side. She had curled on the couch a bit, nestled beneath his arm, a hand on his stomach. She looked sleepy, though it was probably just the amount of wine she’d thrown back while telling dramatic and sometimes over embellished stories of their adventures.

… He sighed, a smile curled onto his lips. There was nothing like this. There was a fire in the mantle that warmed the room, a crackle of fire playing a song over the gentle chatter of their friends… their family. 

This was as good a time as any, her reckoned.

He had an arm around Lup’s waist, and he carefully squeezed her to get her attention. She lifted her face from chest and regarded him curiously, watching his eyes, the wobbly little smile that was suddenly on his lips.

“Babe… you good?” 

“Better… uh, better than I’ve ever been, I think,” he scratched his cheek, and was quiet for a good long moment.

“I… Lup- listen,” he began again, “... This is pretty much… everything we envisioned in our future, right? Maybe with some road bumps along the way, but… Kinda-- well…”

“Yeah, we _nailed it_ ~”

“We sure fucking did,” Barry squeezed her again… and he cleared his throat. This caused Lup’s ears to perk, her attention to divert more fully to him.

He separated them from the couch, and suddenly all eyes in the room were on him. The air had changed, and Barry looked surprisingly serious… as he knelt down in front of her. 

Lup’s hands flew up to her mouth.

“So… lemme take another pass at this,” Barry still wore a wobbly smile, and he pulled from his pocket a very worn, very old looking velvet box… a familiar box. The same… the same fucking ring box from so, so many years ago.

“When I asked you to marry me before, it was while we were… well, you know, none of us were in a great place, I guess. We’ve busted our chops to get here, but we finally did it, Lup. We’re home. We’re home and we have everyone we love and _then some._ And we’re still here. We’re… well, you said it, right? We’re _legends._ … And, you know, if this isn’t as close to where we’re like to be forever as we’re gonna get, then I just don’t know…

“So… Lup, I love you. We’ve fought so hard for everything we have here. And I’d, you know, I’d fight a thousand more battles to stay by your side forever… but I don’t think we’ll be doing much of that anymore. Let me rest by you for the rest of time..?”

The box was open. The ruby ring revealed by the beaten and worn box was still as brilliant as the first day he’d offered it. Instead of glimmering in the reflection of the Light of Creation, it warmly sparkled with firelight… from their hearth, in their home, surrounded by the most important people to them in the world.

Lup threw herself off the couch and into Barry’s arms.

“Good enough,” Barry held her against him for a minute before drawing away, “I’m… I’m sorry I waited so long. I know we’ve been at peace for almost a year now, but, uh… most of it, you were a lich, and it’s kind of impossible to put a ring on a semi-corporeal spectral figure, so I had to wait until you… y’know, had flesh and stuff again.”

Lup laughed against his chest, and whapped him on the shoulder with the palm of her hand. She pulled away, then, and presented her hand, “well, put that ring on my very _real_ flesh finger, then, why dontcha?”

“Gross,” Taako’s voice muttered in the background, and Lup immediately shot him a _look_ , which silenced him with a huff.

“Listen, you’ve never _not_ had flesh fingers before, so maybe fuck off and let me have this, huh?”

Barry laughed, and took her chin in his fingers, redirecting her attention to him, “so, not that this argument wouldn’t be really great, you know, I… this ring’s been sorta itching to be worn for a few decades, so I think I’d like to make this official now, if you we’re ready to do this..?”

“Of course, yeah… lemme at that ring,” Lup allowed Barry to lift her hand, and with a hand a bit more shaky than he would have liked, he slid the brilliant, ruby ring onto her finger.

And Lup beamed. Joy radiated off of her in waves. She leapt to her feet then, holding her arm out in front of herself, eyeing the glistening stone with equally glistening eyes, “alright. Yeah. Hell yes. This is great, this is perfect… It’s perfect.” Her excitement toned down into a more sincere volume, and she turned toward Barry again.

“... Thank you for waiting.”

Barry had flopped back onto his behind, and was just watching his bride-to-be with a cheesy smile, “... Well, I did promise, didn’t I?”

She sighed through her nose, a content and… peaceful sigh… 

“You did… yeah…” She approached him again, and knelt down in front of him, “... thanks for not breaking it. I know we came close… That’s for, uh… thanks for always fighting for me.” Lup took his face in her hands and leaned forward, pressing a chaste but very warm kiss upon his lips, and then after pulling away, his forehead.

“We’ll never be apart again.” Barry commented as off-handedly as he could, and he placed his hands on top of hers on his face.

“... That’s a promise, from me,” Lup pressed their foreheads together.

And they never were. That was a promise they would keep forever.


End file.
